Power station plans put on indefinite hold

Trail users who cringed at the idea of a power station in Lynch Canyon got some
relief this week when the project's proponents announced an indefinite delay.

The delay -- announced Tuesday by the
city of Fairfield -- will allow partnering officials more time to study possible
locations for a substation and its impact on trails, said Marilyn Farley,
executive director of the Solano Land Trust, which owns the pastoral Lynch
Canyon reserve.

"It's really been an awful
conflict for the Land Trust," Farley said. "The board wants to be a
good neighbor, but also wants to protect our open space."

The idea of placing a substation in
Lynch Canyon came about last year. But it wasn't publicly disclosed until recent
months, which led to what some viewed as a controversial "hurry up"
decision by the Solano Land Trust on Jan. 7 to explore the project.

On the one hand, the Land Trust's board
wants to be a good neighbor to Fairfield and its trade unions, who are pushing
hard for a proposed 500-900 megawatt power plant south of Cordelia Road. The
project is tied to the proposed substation and would generate jobs and millions
of dollars in yearly income for Fairfield -- two things that are perhaps more
important now because of the poor economy.

The Land Trust itself could benefit
financially. The nonprofit has been cutting employee hours and postponing
conservation projects lately due to the state's budget standoff. But it could
see a financial gain by allowing the substation to be built. And money is sorely
needed for day-to-day operations, said board director Bob Berman of Benicia, who
opposed building the substation despite any economic upsides.

"My first responsibility is
protecting the properties we own," Berman said.

Dozens of people spoke out at a hearing
before the board's vote, urging the directors to deny the project. But the board
voted 6-5 to move forward.

"There were certainly enough
issues to agree to have our staff explore the future possibility of placement of
a switching station on the land suggested," said board member Al Lavezzo,
who voted with the majority.

Lavezzo said the Land Trust would be
substantially compensated, but any financial deals have yet to be worked out.

Kenn Browne of Vallejo, a Sierra Club
member, said alternative sites should be considered. The proposed site is by the
intersection of the Saddle Trail, Prairie Ridge Trail, South Valley Trail and
Middle Valley Trail. And the substation would be visible from a nearby picnic
area.

"It would be an eyesore,"
Browne said Thursday. "There are power lines there already ... but this
would be on ground level. I just think it is inappropriate development for the
open space up there."

Vallejo resident Brett Saunders -- who
has done 200 hours of volunteer work at Lynch Canyon -- asked the board,
"What are we giving up for what we are getting?"

American Canyon, which recently
established an urban limit line to protect the eastern hills and vineyards to
the north, also has objected to the proposed Lynch Canyon substation. The city
owns the adjacent Newell property, an open space preserve that includes trails
hooking into Lynch Canyon. But if all trails lead to a switching station, both
open space resources could be diminished, said Brent Cooper, American Canyon's
community development director.

Farley said the Land Trust will work
with Fairfield and the project's proponent, Fairfield Energy Center LLC, to
identify alternative locations for the substation, which is needed to transport
any power south to Vallejo and the Bay Area.

The challenge, she said, is to balance
the region's need for electricity and jobs with the Land Trust's mission of
protecting open space.

"We'll continue negotiating to
work things out," Farley said. "It's really been an awful conflict.
The board wants to be a good neighbor, but it also wants to protect our open
space."